Nautical excursion - Nice/Monaco 2H30

What we signed up for - a guided tour experience in English, with a bit of a swim and an overall chill couple of hours What we received - a horrible experience with a tour guide who didn’t speak English nor did he offer any points of explanation in French either. The whole experience was so far away from what we expected, we left the trip halfway through (had to pretend to be sick to have a reason to leave abruptly, sorry) and made our way back to Nice at our own expense. Furthermore, be very certain that you are happy with straddling super uncomfortable (poorly) padded seating on a black inflatable tender, cowboy style (the boat doesn’t go fast enough to justify this, saving fuel maybe?) If you didn’t have back pain before the trip, that’s probably the one thing you will take away from this experience. Warning: they will require you to sign a waiver (not advertised prior) absolving them of pretty much all responsibility and the swimming in our case was with visible jellyfish (again not advertised). Of course they have a “no refund” policy implying refusal to sign waiver means you lose your money regardless. Upon contacting them, both the company and Viator refused any sort of refund despite not delivering even close to what was advertised. Oh and we were issued with 1 lukewarm bottle of water each and told “1 per person”. No tea/coffee included and no soft drinks offered either. Most of the other guests appeared to also be similarly disappointed but many of them didn’t appear to speak English either. In contrast to a similarly priced and worded cruise in Sorrento 2 days prior (which we absolutely loved btw, we aren’t usually ones to complain), this not only failed to deliver what it promised, but it delivered such a failure of an experience that I was happy to pay extra to leave it at a random riviera port and figure out my own way home. Note: when I brought these matters up with the tour operator I was told that “our captains are professionals of the sea whos job it is to ensure safe passage of passengers” (well duh, that’s the bare minimum mate) and that “local anecdotes remain optional perks” regarding the lack of guided tour part. It was also implied that we should have been grateful that the captain “found a compromise” to let us off at a port at all (I was literally ready to swim to shore and would’ve done so if not for having my phone in my backpack). Whatever rebuttal they may offer to this post, take with a grain of salt because at the end of the day, both them and Viator were well aware of the reality of this experience and see nothing wrong with insisting I pay full price for it.

Do No Recommend (-100 Stars) This is without a doubt, the worst tour I’ve ever gone on. The boat is not at all what I was expecting, it was like a lifeboat with 2 rows of saddle seats. Which was appropriate because the entire time I felt like I was riding a bull. The person driving the boat was 10 minutes late with no notice. He didn’t speak English, even though it was supposed to be an English-speaking tour. I think he said 7 words the entire 2 ½ hours. (No English, sign, back less bumpy, get out) There was no safety demonstration, and I did not see any life jackets anywhere. He pulled into areas that were towns but never told us what we were looking at. He just pulled in and tore out. The boat ride out to the sights was terrifying as we were bumping all over the water in this little raft with seats like saddles. But that was nothing compared to the ride home. In 30 minutes, he drove us what took close to 2 hours to get out to. He was flying, with no regard for the safety or comforts of the guest. If you didn’t have a bad back before you went out, I bet you did when you got back. My back and neck still hurt, and it’s been a week since we went on the tour. I even went to the ER to make sure nothing was broken because everything hurt so badly. The driver flew so fast that several times we flew out of our seats and slammed back down onto the saddles with a very jarring motion. People were yelling in fear, and he didn’t even slow the boat down. It was pure hell, and I hated every minute of the tour. It honestly ruined my vacation and I hope not my back and neck too. If I can help one person on go on this torturous tour, I’m happy because it should not be a tour it was horrible. The boat is way too small to go into to such a large ocean…Stay away – Viator should remove this tour for the benefit of its customers.

Wonderful! The views were amazing and the swim in the cove was unforgettable! I fully recommend this boat tour for anyone who is visiting the area.

A nice way to spend the morning. Unfortunately t guide did not speak English so he was unable to give any information about the sites.

This boat trip was great to see the coast from the water. Beautiful views, great captain and amazing memories. Make sure to bring your goggles or snorkels. Definitely recommend this tour!

This is not a tour, just a nice trip in a speedboat through the French Riviera. If you have time, I suggest taking a train or bus to the same beaches to look at it from land and enjoy the city.

Great experience! My favourite excursion from Nice. You get the prospective of places as Monaco and nice from the sea. You stop in the best spots for swimming and snorkelling. Strongly recommended!

The snorkeling is only for about 30 miinutes - but the guide takes you into many bays including the Monaco harbour, which is a real treat to see this principality from the water.

Our guide gave our points of interest and took us on a wonderful tour. He offered water and wine, which I couldn’t dare argue with! It was a unique boat ride, and I like how you could swim/snorkel by the caves. You.get to see the different cities via boat, which is certainly a different perspective. I’d certainly do it again. I brought a dry-pack for my camera and essentials, but didn’t need it after all.

Inmejorable forma de conocer la Riviera Francesa desde el mar. La embarcación, segura y provista con motores de gran potencia. Nuestro tripulante y guia, Marc, excelente!